Never Underestimate The Power Of A Single Face To Face Interaction

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is following through on his 2015 pledge to legalize and regulate the adult use of cannabis. Presently, Liberal Party backed legalization legislation is making its way through Parliament, which hopes to implement the new public policy by mid-2018.

But, as Toronto Star reporter Susan Delacourt writes, Trudeau was not always a supporter of marijuana policy reform. In fact, it wasn’t until he met face to face with NORML representatives that the Canadian Premiere ultimately changed his mind for good.

[Excerpt] When marijuana becomes legal in Canada next year, it will be mainly because Justin Trudeau had a change of mind in 2012.

… Five short years ago, Trudeau was not a fan of legalized pot. As he wandered around the 2012 Liberal policy convention in Ottawa — the same one in which a majority of party members voted in favour of legalization — Trudeau was a dissenting voice.

He told one interviewer that marijuana “disconnects you a little bit from the world” and that it was “not good for your health.” For those reasons alone, Trudeau said he wasn’t in favour of any measures that could make pot use more widespread.

“I don’t know that it’s entirely consistent with the society we’re trying to build,” Trudeau said in an interview that still lives on YouTube, where it’s immediately clear he hasn’t had his run-for-leadership makeover: he still sports a moustache and the long, unruly hair.

By the end of 2012, a lot of things had changed for Trudeau — beyond his appearance. He had changed his mind about running for Liberal leader, officially launching his campaign in October, and he was also starting to see that legalization was better than the decriminalization option he’d long favoured.

Today, Trudeau and his advisers trace the shift to a meeting with two women in his office in November of that year, who armed him with some of the pro-legalization arguments that he’s still using today — now, as prime minister. The two women were Kelly Coulter and Andrea Matrosovs, then representing what was known as the women’s alliance of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

Coulter, who now lives in Victoria, remembers the meeting well, and is heartened to hear that Trudeau traces his conversion to this encounter.

“I actually saw the ‘aha’ moment,” Coulter says. It had been an emotional meeting in Trudeau’s tiny Parliament Hill office; the three of them talked about their own personal experience with marijuana. Trudeau talked about his mother using pot, and his brother, Michel, who had been charged with possession not long before he died. (Trudeau has subsequently told the story publicly of how his father used connections to get the charges dropped so that his son didn’t have a criminal record.)

Coulter told Trudeau flatly that decriminalization would not keep gangs and organized crime out of the marijuana business. “Al Capone would have loved it if alcohol had only been decriminalized,” she said — a line she often used when talking to politicians.

“I saw the light go on in his eyes,” Coulter said. “He was seeing this as a politician, realizing ‘I can sell this,’ ” she recalled.

Trudeau could see how this argument would blunt Conservative attacks on him as being soft on crime; with legalization, he could simultaneously seem liberal about marijuana but conservative about gangs and criminals. It helped persuade Trudeau that legalization, would be the best way for the government to regulate its use and keep it safe, especially for kids.

As we approach NORML’s upcoming National Conference and Lobby Day — taking place September 10-12 in Washington, DC — it is important to emphasize how influential a single face to face meeting with your elected officials can be. NORML’s interactions with lawmakers, whether its at town meetings or in the halls of Congress, are changing minds and shaping public policy.

The county should do a full BOYCOTT on Alcohol and or Tobacco and maybe even Vapor and see how quick things turn around for marijuana reform. If they start loosing money they may panic and push faster for the legalization of a plant in which makes people healthier and make better choices and create awesome innovations for society and the earth.

What an inspiring story. A NORML chapter influenced history with some good old fashioned citizen lobbying. And so true; we have to feed lines of defense face to face to our legislators, candidates, staffers and campaign managers. It’s such a rewarding and satisfying feeling to meet candidates face to face… eye to eye and KNOW when you’re reaching them.

“Al Capone would have loved decriminalization.”

What a great soundbyte. I can imagine Trudeau’s expression; “FINALLY… I can shut conservatives up!”

Unfortunately today the major gangster-villains aren’t “choppin down coppers in da streets.” They’re in the white house and the DOJ terrorizing the whole world. How does one phrase that?

I am a 71 yr old 100% disabled USArmy Vietnam veteran with over 10 medical and psychological conditions taking over 12 prescriptions for many symptoms. I also have an Illinois medical marijuana card. Medicinal marijuana has been a godsend in my life, literally bringing me from the edge of insanity.

My wife and I decided to take a vacation to Niagara Falls and see it on the Canadian side. We booked a room at a hotel in Toronto for three nights and were looking forward to a very hard earned vacation. We enjoyed traveling thru Illinois and Michigan towards our stop to cross the border at port Huron.

We had researched online the necessary documentation needed to cross the border which had stated that we only needed 2 forms of local ID. At the crossing the guard belligerently stated that we needed passport or birth certificates. She then directed us to drive to an inspection area to get inspected. We drove to inspection and were surrounded by 3 guards who asked for IDs and told us to stand in front of our car. I gave one of the guards my IDs and my medical card knowing that he would find my medicine, at which time he asked if I had any marijuana in the car to which I replied yes. I retrieved my medicine and 2 more guards were called over at which time I was placed under arrest with my hands handcuffed behind my back and led into a holding cell for further investigation. My wife and I at this time were freaked because I had never been arrested in my life.

During the time in the cell, they searched my car and tossed my belongings all over the car. They found one other vape pen that I forgot to give them. We waited another hour while they decided what to do.

Their decision was to confiscate my medicine and fine me 440.00 Canadian.

Anything a politician says is basically gargling horsepiss because border patrol has all authority.

The reason I say illegal is because on cbsa own website they state that Cannabis can be transported across Canadian border if legally purchased and labeled from dispensary, which my medicine was all labeled with product info and dispensary.

“Believing that marijuana is going to grow out of a hemp field is like thinking youre gonna get a Great Dane out of a couple of Chihuahua’s.”
-Mrs. Hemphill

This is how you citizen lobby. Hemphill is careful not to disparage legalized THC or marijuana. She simply makes the case for politicians to tell the DOJ that not telling the difference between marijuana and hemp is preposterous.

Nice to see that level of citizen participation in Texas. Your post brought back memories, as I went to first and second grades in San Angelo. It was a great town back then. I went to a party there years later, in the ’70s, was surprised at the number of stoners at that shebang.

My youngest brother went to College there. Not pointin the finger but I THINK I know where the party is at in San Angelo.
And that was our Federal Confressional Agricultural Committee. They were traveling to different places in the US like a national Town Hall.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (a Democrat) is calling for decriminalization. The Republican Governor candidate, Ed Gillespie, is opposing either legalization or decriminalization of marijuana. I don’t think a face to face with Gillespie would make any difference.

Never has it been more clear that it is the Democrats who are calling for the end of the idiotic and draconian marijuana laws. Even though there are a small handful of notable Republicans who are for legalization, they are the minority.

Please Virginians, vote Democrat for a real change; and not just any change, a change for the better!!! (Republicans Trump and Sessions are, in my opinion, a change for the much much worse…).

But The Democrats did put them in place when they controlled the House, and the war on pots super-escalated between 1993 and 2000, under a Democrat president.

The following Republican did little if anything to stop the development of the medical marijuana movements in states, de-facto allowing the dispensary system, with changes from state to state, to develop, when he could have moved to shut them all down.

The following Democrat President had to be dragged kicking and screaming, but he finally told his justice department to lay-off.

Now we have legal pot in 5 states, medical marijuana 15 or 18, with more on the way, including places like VA and TX.

How fast do you think things could have changed? Overnight? Was that the case with the end of Prohibition? No, it went state by state until the Federal Government had to submit to the will of the states.

The Dems are certainly to blame for much of the MJ BS in the past several decades. But one might get the idea from your post that Republicans have actually been progressive on the issue. Your revelations are highly selective. It’s true that Obama had to be dragged kicking and screaming, and I was frustrated by him too; but at least he allowed Rec legalization to continue.

I have been progressive on the issue. But have you ever heard of Dana Rohrbacher, (R., Orange County, CA?)

What was the position of the Clinton administration and/or the Hillary Clinton campaign’s position “legalization,” of cannabis?

My point is I don’t believe that he has “accepted,” the “legalization of cannabis.”

I won’t believe until I see it happen. Further, the USA has not “embraced legalization.” The Feds can go into any place in the USA and enforce federal laws.

At this point that means arrest for a felony, confiscation of driver’s license, loss Federal licenses, suspension from or immediate loss of job, forfeiture of car & houses and money based upon where drugs are found.

People speak of Sessions as if he is about to sick the military & ATF, DEA, and FBI on the people of 8 states.

Sessions does have a point with respect to, say diversion of cannabis from one legal state to another non-legal state, and states surrounding Colorado are looking for people crossing state lines any controlled substance.

And then there are the UN drug control treaties, necessary for UN membership by US demand. They have to go. Until and unless this happens, “legal pot,” will be only semi-legal.

It is still totally illegal in the Netherlands. Even the upcoming “fix,” for the “back door,” or supply of cannabis to Dutch coffeeshops, currently strictly illegal, will move into the category of being “tolerated.”

Both parties have pursued this drug war hand-in-hand. IOW, they have all been in on it together, especially Nevada. Re-read my posts to see they threw me out of the party, after bothering to train me, due to my outspoken stance on the war on drugs circa 1986-2000, when my efforts saw the people of Nevada, at the time a brilliant neon red state, vote twice as is the requirement to change the Nevada constitution, above the miserable screaming & whining of the local political class and the Federal government.

I get what you’re saying and appreciate that you have advocated for our cause all these years. Too many Dems have been assholes on this issue; still, they as a whole have been far better on legalization, especially in the last half-dozen years, than GOPers. You, Eric, are the exception and not the rule when it comes to modern GOP.

Rohrbacher is one of the few reasonable people in the national GOP; that’s why his name is referenced so much by GOPers who support legalization.

You said: “Sessions does have a point with respect to, say diversion of cannabis from one legal state to another non-legal state, and states surrounding Colorado are looking for people crossing state lines any controlled substance.”

Isn’t that the same principle as someone buying a bottle of whisky in a wet county and transporting it into a dry county?

Bud, the principle is not the same. dry counties refer to 1 surrounded by 2,3 or 4 counties with the Sheriffs in the dry counties busting people for selling in the dry county, this keeping the price up in the one county in the area which is wet, providing graft for the booze seller and his sheriff cousins.

The Federal Government prohibits all, including possession, being under the influence, crossing state with any amount.

Doingbthis is a Federal Felony, even for simple possession when m you cross or attempt to cross a state line.

For example, at the airport in legalized states, the intent to cross state lines happens at the TSA screening point.

All thereafter is Federal territory, including being being on the aircraft, and, if for example, someone hits you, steals from your molests/sexually assaults you on an airplane, don’t look to any local authority for help, such as the airport police.

The FBI is in charge from TSA entry to secure zone exit,iclusive of Federal drug laws.

Some dispensaries in Colo make the argument that denying American citizens in bordering states the opportunity to buy legal pot in Colo is discrimination. In my opinion it’s similar to the recent situation in Europe, where countries that neighbor the Netherlands have demanded that the Netherlands stop selling pot to foreigners. Many coffee shop owners also call that discrimination.

Discrimination is largely unacceptable in the Netherlands, but the coffee shop owners have been pressured by the other countries into accepting it. Similar thing with the USA; it’s some of the states bordering Colorado that are trying to pressure Colo to engage in discrimination based on the state each customer is from.

@ Eric,
I’ve got your number, man. You are employing a technique called “The Gish Gallop.” Named after creationist Duane Gish who employed it, it is a tactic whereby someone argues a case by hurling as many different half-truths and non-truths as possible into a very short space of time, so that their opponent cannot hope to combat each point in real time.

Bud,
Germany, Belgium, and France, kn that order, are not so worried any more. “Demands,” have not been made for many years. Occasionally there are large actions at the the Belgian border on Friday nights, but these are also looking for criminals, automobile violations, the Tax and immigration authorities are there from Holland and Belgium.

The Dutch government is moving ahead with the “wietwet,” finally allowing for supply of coffeeshops, while sale out the “front door,” has been municipally authorized since 1998.

Nobody has really won anything, however, as except for Uruguay, where the government s the dealer, there is no place where cannabis legal under both international and national laws. US states are not required to have conforming legislation, but Congress has means of blackmail (see age 21 for alcohol) and Executive Branch can arrest you anywhere, state law notwithstanding. Go to the Airport with some weed. See what happens. A cannabis conviction keeps you out pf Canada, Japan, and maybe others.

For how many years did you live bin the Netherlands? Me 12. Do you speak Dutch, no. Are you ill with HMSN or something which responds well to cannabis? Did you deal with thisnin the 80s and 90s, when the drug war was super hot, and Dianne Feinstein, on 2 separate occasions, introduced legislation to make it illegal to discuss alternatives to prohibition, OR to link to such discussions.

So whatever you think of may arguments (prove any one is a so-called 1/2 truth… i dare you), which are all anti-prohibition by the way) at least Was willing to entertain and even initiate the discussion., when every politician and news outlet was attempting to shut such discussions down.

And Brain Damage, I don’t care what you call me or my personal experience. I know who the enemy is. It’s all politicians in the USA… All of them. And this Trudeau, too.

Shona Banda took a plea deal in Kansas with no jail time. She is being reunited with her son and is moving to Spokane, Washington! (Good choice!)

For those not following this horrific story, Shona Banda has chrone’s disease and was growing marijuana in her back yard in Kansas to stay healthy. Her 11 year ild son stood up during a DARE meeting and said “marijuana isnt bad it helps my mother” and the cops went and raided Shona’s home without a warrant and took her son into state custody. Even worse, prosecutors wanted to force Shona’s son to testify against his own mother to get a verdict, a form of state-sanctioned terror. Fortunately, Shona was able to navigate the system without permanently scarring her own son by forcing him to testify against his own mother and sending her to potential life in prison for taking the only safe and effective medicine available to her, whole plant marijuana.

America today is not something I feel proud of. If Trump really wants to make America great again he should get 100% onboard with legalizing marijuana. The alternative is ruining peoples lives with no real good reason.

He only changed his mind when he realized he could “sell,” the idea as a politician, which would help him enrich his power, wealth or both.
How ugly. I thought Canada was supposed to be more principled and civilized than the USA. I guess not.

No, I was the biggest voice in Nevada from 1990-2007, with multiple short and long form anti-prohibition advocacy pieces and many local radio calls.

Once learning in 1993 that it wasn’t coming fast enough for me, I moved to the Netherlands, from where, in Zwolle, I write, on vacation now.

Further, I threw away a career in the Republican party, trained by the RNCC and the group that elected Ronald Reagan, because I would not shut up and toe the line on the cannabis and other drugs issues.

I do, however, support President Trump, as the political class, especially those from my state are an hideous bunch of cattle rustlers, horse thieves and runners of dirty card tables. A nicer bunch of people this could not be happening to, all 536 of them.

Further, Hillary Clinton was a poor candidate with an agenda all-her-owm whom I did not support. Is that OK?

We have only 2 choices for POTUS. Those of us who voted for Trump did so to send shock waves though the oh-so-self-entitled political classes, all of whom decried any form of non prohibition of drugs as recently as 10 years ago. Trump doesn’t seem to be preparing a cannabis crackdown.

Just whom are you defending, anyway? This guy in Canada doing something for himself in a cold political calculation?

I at least credit you with believing what you stand for.

I find the Republicans to be a ridiculous bunch who threw away their brand over abortion in 1988 when many said,”I don’t have to support the party platform in order to call myself a Republican.” After that there was no party cohesion.

So I moved to Holland.

I am ill and use medical marijuana and have since I was 15. What have Democrats in Congress doe to help me since 1996?

Eric: boo hoo! You act like a martyr, but you support Trump and you expect me to feel sorry for you (cue the violin sounds)). While you are currently enjoying the benefits of a liberal democratic country like the Netherlands, you supported a fascist monster (Trump) who lavishly praised Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s maniacal drug war which resulted in the death of thousands without any due process, you hypocrite! And you conveniently ignore the fact that your Dear Leader appointed Jeff Session, who as Attorney General is ratcheting up the drug war (mainly against cannabis but no worries, you are in the Netherlands so smoke up!). The US is being ripped apart by this fascist monster you support and you expect me to say thank you for your efforts? Not on your life, you unmitigated ass! Is Trump really making America Great? Like in Charlottesville when a bunch of insecure pussies carried Gilligan’s island torches? Vehicular assault and homicide is making America great? You and your fellow Trumpsters own this! And spare me your BS revisionist history! You don’t fool me for one second!

Sean, I never asked you for anything. I’m on vacation, for 48 more hours, and then it is back to war in California brought to us by those of you who can’t deal with election results.

Trump is no “Fascist monster.” You have made the political mistake of believing your own propaganda. Nobody supports Duterete’s murderous behavior, nor that of the the same effort a decade earlier in Thailand.

Such a pogrom [sic] is -not- planned for the USA. Sessions DOJ has refused to endorse any meddling in state with various laws last week.

The US is being “ripped apart” by entitled idiots who don’t understand that elections are won and lost.

I’m not sure where the sense of entitlement that Hillary Clinton must and can not lose came from. Please explain.

Yes, I want thanks for laying the foundation in Nevada for votes in 1998 & 2000 to change the Constitution to allow for Medical and at the time simultaneous decriminalization of pot.

Please write the statement you believe President Trump should have made.

Lynch meeting with Clinton on a plane during the election discussing email scandal is not Horrible?

People ave 2 choices for POTUS, the Republican and the Democrat. My vote was in California,and thus did not matter in the case of helping Trump. I didn’t send hm or anyone else in 2016 any money, nor did I work for anyone, as there is no Republican party to speak of in CA.

I did not have a Trump bumper sticker, as in Los Angeles I did not wish to have my car vandalized.

Trump wil be there for either 3 1/2or 7 1/2 years. Get used to it, and stop blaming me for stuff done by people in other states. Again I live in CA, where my vote for Trump did to count, nor did my non-vote for Hillary Clinton. Clinton received all CA electoral votes.

What did you want me to do, assassinate him? If that was your goal, why did you not do it.

Oh, yeas, you were utterly convinced he could never win and that she could never lose.

Grow up. Elections come and go. You do realize that the original october surprise was that allegedly GHW Bush, not a member of government, somehow, was placed in an SR-71 and taken to Paris where he allegedly arranged for the Iranians to keep our hostages until after the election, there by stealing the election from Jimmy Carter.

Why an SR-71? Because that is the only way, given Bush’s schedule, that he could have made it to Paris in the time that he had available. How long negotiations did or might have taken, and what any delay would have done to Bush’s appointments in DC isn’t discussed.

@ Eric R. Johnson,
Yes, “horrible” describes both Trump, and his supporters, with which you self-identify. America will defeat Trump, and then his supporters will crawl back under the rocks they came from.

he’s been taking forever, and of course irritating people who really believe in medicinal affects when he keeps saying “what about the children”. Maybe kids shouldn’t smoke, but cannabis stuff for kids with neurological problems is something the AMA protested about from the get go, but racism and hatred is what’s important to america, not health. Also they’re worried he just wants different cops, since he’s been threatening drug driving cops, as if such a thing is possible. Our society is split between draconian tyrants and drug lords, and most people pick drug lords as the character they like, not the draconian tyrant.

@Eric,
Is it “disgusting” to change the minds of their ignorance or their premise of evil and convince them to choose more wisely?

The greatest victory of our movement is in reaching our legislators and the people behind the corporations and lobbies and in a very human snd face to face encounter, make our enemies our friends.

Take Neil DeGrass Tyson for example. Not a friend of “altered states” (however we define that). But Tom Angel of Marijuana Majority, God Bless him, pops up at one of Tyson’s book signings in Norway and asks if Tyson woyld endorse marijuana legalization like Tyson’s late friend and idol Carl Sagan.

Tyson just recently sold out to narrate a Monsanto-sponsored food documentary that promoted GMO’s. No doubt that popular opinion from the face-to-face question pressured him. Nonetheless were glad the celebrity who cashes in books playing king of IQ hill is siding with marijuana legalization. (Thanks Tom).

And with that said, I respectfully disagree with the astrophysist. Keeping “sober” or away from mind altering substances is not a universal path to mental “reality” (words so relative with connotation we need Einstein to define them). I would be glad to engage in the science and sociology of that statement if anybody cares. But whats important here is Tyson is aloud permission to change his opinions and choose his own reputation. And we as activists need to afford politicians the same right.

Not opposed to open minds or legalization.My legalization bonafides are far greater than most. I loved to Holland to help myself, avoid being swept up, and when, certainly partially through my advocacy, in my state and elsewhere… for example The people who run/ran my state knew by by first name since I was a child. I am now 50. That’s the way to is in small states.

They rebuked me, threw me from their party, or away from at the very least any opportunities therein after training me at the RNCC.

So just because I find the behavior of a given politician disgusting because he doesn’t believe it, which means he can change his mind when it suits him… this is a throw away issue in discussions involving budgets, defense, health care, and diplomacy…

How many times has the Canadian government, including this guy’s dad, toed-the-cannabis-line for Washington when Canada was near to legalizing, using the -thoroughly ridiculous- threat, in terms of long-term sustainability (with long term being more than a week,) of, “slowing down US/Canada cross-border traffic,” ostensibly to combat all the Cannabis which was assumed would be coming south if Canada did such a horrific thing to the world and it’s oh-so-vulnerable southern Neighbor.

Why can many people not see the difference between support of policy positions and confidence politicians’ behaviors?

“Why can(‘t so) many people [‘not’ :double negative] see the difference between (the) support of policy positions and confiden(t) politicians’ behaviors?”

(Whew!) You gotta clean up your syntax there Eric. What are you using Google translate? You sure your not a Russian spy?
First off, I’m Julian. Not Mary. Pleased to post with you. Second, read the http://www.norml.org/congressional-scorecard and weep.
To answer your question… Youre really blowing smoke up your own @$$ aren’tcha?

If by “behavior” you mean the policy decision, votes and ACTIONS a politician takes after taking office, then Trudeau deserves great credit for keeping his word on implementing legalized marijuana policy. And his policy position, influenced by two women from the NORML Women’s Alliance, happened BEFORE he ran for his current political position as Prime Minister of Canada, ya jerk.

Now let’s look at your contrasting example; Trump. He started his campaign blaming Mexicans for drugs and socioeconomic inequality in the US, echoing the words of Harry Anslinger who started marijuana prohibition 80 years ago. Then he said he would support states rights and medical marijuana. Then he became President with the help of the unconstitutional Republican Crosscheck Program and more lies like blaming trade deals and immigrant labor for taking jobs from the Rust belt when it was automation and bad billionaire capitalist vultures like John Paulsen selling out AC Delco. Did he keep his promise? Fu€k no. He appointed Jeff Sessions to USAG and helped him lobby Congress to try and block the Rohrabacher-Blumenhauer amendment.

I’m sorry; WHO cant tell the difference between a politician’s “policies” and “behavior”?

Well I’m am sorry that I have Charcot-Marie tooth disease, which makes it very hard to type. Clearly you understood, as you were able to make the proper corrections. I was standing up waiting to go put on my last night when I had to answer these miserable posts from people who cannot see that I laid groundwork for them to be in the position we now are, and that you should be grateful for my sacrifices.

Also, I’m in the middle of speaking Dutch, outside of this miserable thread, so my head is full of Dutch.

Further, I can use various grammatical and syntactical flare’s when i want, but you knew these were typos, now did’t you?

Oh, yea, then there is the ubiquitous “auto correct,” which changes confident into confidence. In any case, as you might describe President Trump, which I notice the MSM doesn’t allow him the title…he his simply “Donald Trump,” the word confidence works in the sentence as “confidence Politician, like “confidence man,” defined as an, “old-fashioned term for con man.”

By behavior, I mean politicians who adopt positions for their own political expediency, meaning getting them elected, but that they will throw the position away at the first necessity.

And 10% of Mexicos workforce is in America because?

Republican Cross-check program? Please explain.

If you mean the Electoral College, it is in the Constitution. Check it out.

You just ran out of credibility. How many foreign languages do you speak by the way? Mine are Dutch, German, and French.

Well I’m am sorry that I have Charcot-Marie tooth disease, which makes it very hard to type. Clearly you understood, as you were able to make the proper corrections. I was standing up waiting to go put on my last night when I had to answer these miserable posts from people who cannot see that I laid groundwork for them to be in the position we now are, and that you should be grateful for my sacrifices.

Also, I’m in the middle of speaking Dutch, outside of this miserable thread, so my head is full of Dutch.

Further, I can use various grammatical and syntactical flare’s when i want, but you knew these were typos, now did’t you?

Oh, yea, then there is the ubiquitous “auto correct,” which changes confident into confidence. In any case, as you might describe President Trump, which I notice the MSM doesn’t allow him the title…he his simply “Donald Trump,” the word confidence works in the sentence as “confidence Politician, like “confidence man,” defined as an, “old-fashioned term for con man.”

By behavior, I mean politicians who adopt positions for their own political expediency, meaning getting them elected, but that they will throw the position away at the first necessity.

And 10% of Mexicos workforce is in America because?

Republican Cross-check program? Please explain.

If you mean the Electoral College, it is in the Constitution. Check it out.

You just ran out of credibility. How many foreign languages do you speak by the way? Mine are Dutch, German, and French.

You don’t seem to get it. I don’t trust any of them to lay down good policies, left, middle, or right. Period.

The Republicans are hideous, and the Democrats are worse, as they simply lie to you. For Pres. Obama’s first term Democrats held all both branches of government and both the House and Senate, and Democrats including Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House from San Francisco, uber prohibitionist Dianne Feinstein, and silent prohibitionist Barbara Boxer, and Harry Reid, whom I got, on station KKOH-Reno in 1997 or 98, when he was majority whip to admit that the Democrats, upon a personal face to face discussion with an ill person being helped by cannabis in Nevada, one he knew to be of good character otherwise, to admit that,
“we need to take a look at that.”

But they didn’t. The host was then local host Rusty Humphries, on his afternoon drive gig.

So the Democrats helped how?

By the way, for all of you… from 2008-2016 I voted in California, where I now live. (Nevada and CA share a long border, although I do not like Nevada as a place at all… I just grew up there.

This means my votes against Clinton did nothing to help Trump be elected. So climb off my case and find people in the Midwest, South and Southeast to be to blame for this. Though I can say it cannot happen to a bunch of nicer people.

Eric, my brother, I hate to tell you, but you’re off your meds, or something! Learn the difference between facts, and alternative facts. Then, discard the alternative facts, and use only actual facts. It should clear up a lot of confusion for you.

Without President Obama’s Cole memos we would not be debating state marijuana legalization. And polling for marijuana legalization did not pass %50 until after the Republican Crosscheck program kicked into high gear and the Dems lost Congress in 2010. If you failed to click on the link, it’s the program where millions of Democratic votes get caged by using false equivalencies in last names like Hernandez, Yang or Jackson that remotely appear the same by falsely claiming they vote in more than one state. Thats how Trump stole Michigan, Pennsylavania and Wisconsin. And thats how Republicans intend to continue to steal 2018 Congressional elections.

Now can you cut the bull$hit? This is a blog designed at encouraging eachother to citizen lobby our Congressman to legalize marijuana. Have you even clicked on the ACT tab on this webpage or are you just another paid Trump-supporting whiny little bitch?

While I understand your frustration with the glacial movement of some politicos, I question your targets. I’d venture to say that probably 99% of the world leaders would rate criticism using your criteria. How many countries besides Uruguay, Netherlands and the USA (8 states, etc) have openly embraced legalization or advocated for it? How many world leaders?

We take our victories when and where we can. To criticize politicos as being hypocritical when they finally accept legalization serves no purpose. Lord knows, I would have a field day when the GOPer politicians of this country finally begin accepting MJ legalization–which they will have to. I will resist that urge.

don’t tell me that Democrats don’t have Machine Politics all over the place.

My vote for Trump did not count, as I voted in California. What do you want from me? Do you to want me to call ’em like I see ’em, with the presumption that I haven’t a clue what I’m talking about and that because I don’t trust Trudeau on this issue, Just like Harry Reid lied to me on my hometown radio station, until I see it happen.

An were it not for Clinton Era “Burns Grants,” the militarization of every local police and sheriffs department, most often directed at drug busts, would not have happened.

Demofrats minder Obama held government and needed no help from Republicans to reschedule or reschedule cannabis, but they did not, even though the legislative leadership was from California.”

So whatever you think they’ve done, it’s only been recently, after forced election after forced election to even force state authorities to move.

So pitfalls in the category of too little, too late… we’ll let you keep to so long as you cut us into the revenue stream.

Believing these peopler on your side is your mistake. I never believed Republicans were on -my- side.